Nearly 65,000 kids could lose access to Head Start programs if the government shutdown continues

• Head Start programs are facing closures due to a federal funding lapse amid the government shutdown.
• The shutdown affects nearly 65,000 children and over 22,000 staff nationwide in Head Start.
• Programs rely on federal grants for 80% of funding, with some using credit to stay open.

Many Head Start programs across the country won’t open their doors on Monday.

Nearly 65,000 children in Head Start programs nationwide may lose access in the coming days after missing their November 1 funding deadline for federal grants due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to the National Head Start Association. Over 22,000 staff at these centers are also at risk of losing their jobs or being furloughed.

Head Start is a federally funded program that provides childcare and early education to over 715,000 children from low-income families, from birth to age 5. Those eligible for Head Start programs are families who already rely on public assistance programs, such as SNAP, or who fall below the poverty line.

Families could be left without childcare options if their Head Start programs lose funding. “It’s really scary for a lot of parents,” said Tommy Sheridan, the deputy director of the National Head Start Association. “Head Start is preschool services, but it’s more than just what we think of as traditional preschool. It is oftentimes the only place that children get access to nutritious meals.”

Some centers nationwide may shut their doors and furlough staff, while others have already created contingency plans to stay open temporarily. They’ve reached for rainy day funds, taken out lines of credit, or had philanthropic donors support the programs families and staff rely on for childcare and employment.

Federal grants can account for up to 80% of a Head Start program’s funding, making these funds essential to its continued operations.

Bryan Conover, the executive director of the Central Kentucky Community Action Council (CKCAC), a nonprofit agency aiding residents through programs and services, said he and his team are taking out a $1 million line of credit to keep early education centers open. They are hoping the Office of Management and Budget will reimburse these interim expenses and provide back pay to staff.

Conover is in central Kentucky, and the nine centers he oversees, along with other services for low-income families, are set to stay open until November 21. The centers serve 400 students they teach and they employ 150 staff.

Head Start programs receive annual federal grants for the coming year’s funding, and with the shutdown underway, November grantees have no guidance. About 140 centers, or 10% of Head Start programs nationwide, are November grantees and are set to not get their funding renewed amid the shutdown. Conover described the situation as “dumb luck” for the shutdown to fall in this year, in this month.

Other programs receive funding at different times throughout the year. While some centers received funding before October 1, the longer the shutdown lasts, the more people are affected.

“The ripple effects of this shutdown may not be huge right now, but the longer they go, the bigger the ripples become,” Conover said.

In Indiana, Rhett Cecil, the executive director of the Indiana Head Start Association, said that Indiana has 2,662 student slots at risk without funding and a loss of nearly 850 staff members. Indiana had almost 13,000 kids enrolled last year and employed 4,000 people at Head Start programs in the state.

He noted that almost 75% of the families enrolled in Head Start programs have both parents working. Without reliable childcare options, they must weigh the decision between going to work and caring for their young children.

“We’re talking about 1,700 families that are going to have to make the decision starting on Monday: Do I go to work or do I take care of my children?” Cecil said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said once the government reopens, the Office of Head Start (OHS) will award grants scheduled for October 1 and November 1 to programs. They said grantees can then expect direct communication with OHS regarding a timeline for the arrival of federal funds.

Cecil, Conover, and Sheridan all said they have contacted local, state, and federal government officials and haven’t received guidance on funding. Cecil said he’s still “waiting for that magic email” to let him know funding is back to normal.

Jennifer Akin, the director of Head Start at the Central Kentucky Community Action Council, said she and her team have aimed to clearly communicate with parents who are in limbo for the coming weeks, unsure where their children will attend during the day after the November 21 funding.

She said the silver lining to all this is that the community is more tightly connected during these times. Akin said she and her staff had already allocated last year’s funds to a holiday party in November. So the shutdown won’t affect their annual Thanksgiving meal for kids and families.